In machine learning or COVID-19 research, papers older than three years are functionally obsolete. An h-index of 4 in such a field, after a PhD, suggests the researcher missed the boat entirely.
Having an h-index of 4 has several implications: h-index of 4
Before we discuss the implications, let's nail the definition. An means that a researcher has at least 4 papers that have each received at least 4 citations . In machine learning or COVID-19 research, papers older
Each of those 4 papers has been cited by other peer-reviewed articles. An means that a researcher has at least
Scenario C earlier is dangerous. If paper A has 200 citations and the rest have 0, the researcher effectively has an h-index of 1 with a statistical anomaly. When asked for a research statement, they cannot convincingly describe four distinct contributions.
The largest h such that the number of publications with at least h citations is equal to h is 4. Therefore, the H-Index for this researcher is 4.
While an h-index of 4 is a great start, researchers often want to increase this number. The h-index is notoriously difficult to move quickly, as it requires both new, high-quality publications and for old publications to continue accruing citations.